An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces an extended field of view (EFOV) image. A 3D imaging probe is moved along the skin of a patient above the anatomy which is to be included in the EFOV image. As the probe is moved, images are acquired from a plurality of differently oriented image planes such as a sagittal plane and a transverse plane. As the probe is moved the image data of successive planes of one of the orientations is compared to estimate the motion of the probe. These motion estimates are used to position a succession of images acquired in one of the orientations accurately with respect to each other in an EFOV display format. The motion estimates are also used to display a graphic on the display screen which indicates the progress of the scan to the user as the probe is being moved. The progress may be indicated in terms of probe velocity, distance traveled, or the path traversed by the moving probe.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system which produces a guided extended field of view (EFOV) image comprising: an ultrasound probe including an array transducer which may be moved along a surface of a subject in a front direction; a beamformer coupled to the array transducer which controls the ultrasound probe to repeatedly scan a plurality of image planes as the ultrasound probe is moved along the surface in the front direction; an image processor responsive to signals received from the array transducer to form a sequence of images as the ultrasound probe is moved; a motion estimator, responsive to a sequence of images which produces estimates of probe motion; an EFOV subsystem responsive to the probe motion estimates which operates to produce an EFOV image from a sequence of images; a probe motion indicator responsive to the motion estimator which produces an indication of probe motion in the front direction and variation of probe motion transverse to the front direction; and a display responsive to the EFOV subsystem and the probe motion indicator for adjacently displaying the probe motion indicator as the probe is moved and the EFOV image.
2. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the probe motion indicator produces an indication of probe motion velocity.
3. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the probe motion indicator produces an indication of probe motion velocity in the front direction and in a direction lateral to the front direction.
4. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the probe motion indicator comprises a display graphic which shows a variance of probe motion from a nominal path of travel.
5. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the nominal path of travel comprises the front direction and a direction of variance is lateral of the front direction.
6. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the probe motion indicator comprises a display graphic which indicates a speed of motion of the ultrasound probe relative to a zero velocity.
7. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the indicator further comprises quantifications of units of distance or time or number of images acquired as the ultrasound probe is moved.
8. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the probe motion indicator produces an indication of a distance of probe travel.
9. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the probe motion indicator and the EFOV image are both displayed as the ultrasound probe is moved.
10. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the probe motion indicator comprises a graphic depiction of a path of travel of the ultrasound probe as it is moved along the surface.
11. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the graphic depiction of the path of travel includes indicators of increments of the path.
12. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the graphic depiction of the path of travel further comprises a graphic marking the current position of the ultrasound probe relative to the path of travel.
13. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the display further comprises a component image display area in which a recently acquired image used to produce the EFOV image is displayed.
14. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 13 , wherein the display further comprises a second component image display area in which a recently acquired image used to produce the estimate of probe motion is displayed, wherein the first and second component images are acquired by the ultrasound probe from differently oriented image planes.
15. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the display further comprises a component image display area in which a recently acquired image used to produce the estimate of probe motion is displayed.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 2, 2009
October 7, 2014
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